Gas detection system installed on San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge project

SAN JOSE, Calif. – 09/23/2010 – RAE Systems today announced its wireless AreaRAE Steel gas-detection systems are helping keep workers safe during construction of the skyways and towers on the East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Seismic Safety Projects.

Multiple AreaRAE Steel systems are performing around-the-clock monitoring for toxic and potentially explosive gases, as well as oxygen-deficient or -enriched atmospheres that can be prevalent in confined-space work areas. The advanced AreaRAE Steel systems continuously send real-time data to a command center near the Oakland commercial shipping wharf approximately one mile away.

"The bridge is a challenging location for transmitting wireless signals due to many obstacles in the area, and RF and electromagnetic interference," said William Jackson, vice president of marketing for RAE Systems. "Our intrinsically safe, wireless AreaRAE solution has met this challenge and is helping keep workers protected from toxic and gaseous threats on this highly complex job site."

The portable, rugged, and weather-resistant AreaRAE Steel is a multi-gas monitor with an integrated wireless modem that transmits real-time gas measurements to a base station up to two miles away, allowing for simultaneous control and data readings for up to 32 AreaRAE-compatible monitors. It reliably measures parts per million of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the air, and can be equipped with lower explosive limit (LEL), oxygen and one or two electrochemical sensors that detect specific toxins.

The solution also included multiple RAElink3 modems, used as signal repeaters, and SolarRAE power generators, which provide safe and reliable power for the wireless AreaRAE Steel gas-detection monitoring systems. The solution was installed and supported by RAE Systems' distribution partner Industrial Safety Supply Corp. of Oakland, Calif.

The two-mile East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge consists of 452 different sections, but will appear as a single, streamlined span. It will feature the world’s longest Self-Anchored Suspension (SAS) span at 625 meters in length. The $1.43-billion project is scheduled for completion in 2013, and is the largest public infrastructure project in California history. More information on Bay Bridge projects can be found at baybridginfo.org.